The present invention relates to an impact absorbing pad, preferably for protection of a prosthetic implant during an implantation procedure.
Because of disease or injury, it may become necessary to replace an unhealthy bone structure with a prosthetic implant, such as a prosthetic knee or hip. For example, degenerative arthritis may cause the load bearing surfaces in a knee to deteriorate; thus requiring a knee arthroplasty procedure to relieve pain and restore mobility. Alternatively, a bone tumor might be discovered in the pelvis or femur; thus requiring a total or partial hip replacement surgery to remove the tumor. Whatever the case, during a typical replacement surgery, once the unhealthy bone structure is removed, an implant is required to restore and maintain bodily function.
Many implants require the installation of one or more components within a bone cavity, such as a bone stem. These implants are usually inserted into the bone cavity by force and then cemented in place. One benefit of such an implant is to provide a prosthetic, load bearing surface that is integral with the healthy bone structure. A prosthetic knee, for example, may include a flat baseplate with a bone stem that is inserted into and cemented to the tibia. The flat baseplate is typically a load bearing surface configured to receive a round ended implant that mimics the natural shape of a knee joint. Likewise, a prosthetic hip may comprise a ball rigidly attached to the femur. The ball is typically received in a socket having a load bearing surface that replicates the range of motion provided by a healthy hip.
Depending upon surgical approach and/or patient anatomy, the installation of a prosthetic implant may require the use of an impactor tool for driving the implant into place (e.g., driving a bone stem into a bone cavity). Because the impactor tool is generally not implanted within the body, it need not be constructed from a biocompatible material, such as titanium. Moreover, to improve durability and wear resistance of the striking surfaces, such tools are often plated with hard chrome. As a result, the load bearing surfaces of an implant can be burnished, indented, notched, or otherwise damaged by the repeated impactions required for implantation. Therefore, a need exists for a structure that can protect the load bearing surface of a prosthetic implant during implantation.